This invention relates generally to exercisers and more specifically to exercisers with multiple bungee cord resistance and enhanced bench movements that enable a user to perform various different exercises.
Recent years have seen an increasing awareness of the benefits of physical exercise and widespread use of exercisers. The therapeutic value of progressive resistance exercises has long been recognized. Exercising muscles against progressively increasing resistance not only results in added strength and endurance in the muscles, but also in a more efficient functioning of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
Nowadays, various types of exercisers have been suggested which use elastomeric members such as resistance bands to provide non-gravity resistance to the performance of the exercises.
One such exerciser is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,167 issued to Piaget et al. The exerciser taught by Piaget et al. includes a first plurality of resistance cords for providing resistance to pivotal movement of first and second arm members and a second plurality of resistance cords for providing resistance to a leg member. Each plurality of resistance cords are releasably secured to a fixed anchor such that the first plurality of resistance cords provides resistance to the arm members independently from the resistance provided by the second plurality of resistance cords to the leg member. A user may exercise his/her arms and legs without complex maneuvering or adjustments to the exercise machine as taught by Piaget et al. However, varying the resistance by using elastomeric resistance as taught by Piaget et al. involves adding or subtracting individual resistance cords to the apparatus, which can be both burdensome and time consuming. Further, since the resistance cords are typically separate units, they can be lost or misplaced, increasing costs for replacement, and frequently are strewn about the apparatus in a manner to create substantial tripping hazards.
Consequently, there exists a need in the art to provide an exerciser which is cost-effective, convenient for transportation, versatile, and capable of providing variable resistance without removing components thereof.
To achieve this need, the present invention can be applied to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/737,548 filed concurrently herewith and hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. That object is achieved by providing an exerciser which features a frame assembly including a lower frame portion that is constructed and arranged to be stablely supported in an operative position on a horizontal surface. First and second rigid upright support members is fixed at lower end portions thereof on the lower frame portion and extends upwardly from the lower frame portion when in the operative position thereof. A user support assembly is operatively connected with the lower frame portion. The user support assembly is constructed and arranged to support a user thereon.
The pair of rigid upright support members has first and second rigid upper free end portions respectively configured to curve upwardly from the lower portions thereof in outwardly diverging relation with respect to one another. First and second moving assemblies is disposed in normal inoperative positions with respect to the user support assembly. Each moving assembly is constructed and arranged to be manually engaged and individually manually moved away from the normal inoperative position thereof into a desired extended position by a user supported on the user support assembly.
The first and second moving assemblies comprise first and second upper pulley members rotatably mounted on the upper free end portions of the first and second rigid upright support members, respectively. First and second lower pulley members are rotatably mounted on the frame assembly at fixed positions below the first and second upper pulley members and first and second flexible elongated structures are trained around the first and second lower pulley members, respectively. The first and second flexible elongated structures extend upwardly over the first and second upper pulley members respectively and then downwardly toward the lower frame portion.
Movement preventing structures on the lower frame portion are operatively associated with terminal portions of the first and second flexible elongated structures and extend downwardly from the first and second upper pulley members. The movement preventing structures are constructed and arranged to prevent upward movements of the terminal portions. First and second user hand grip units is connected with first and second end portions of the first and second flexible elongated structures. The first and second user hand grip units extend outwardly from the lower pulley members in positions to enable a user supported on the user support assembly to move the user hand grip units away from inoperative positions thereof into desired extended positions.
The first and second flexible elongated structures include first and second bungee cords constructed and arranged to resiliently resist movement of the user hand grip units and the end portions of the flexible elongated structures away from the inoperative positions thereof into desired extended positions. The first and second bungee cords are further constructed and arranged to resiliently return the user hand grip units to the inoperative positions thereof when no longer moved by the user.
Another such exerciser is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,566 issued to Whitcomb. The exerciser taught by Whitcomb includes a single plurality of resistance elements for either providing resistance to handle grips or to a leg unit which are connected to opposite ends of the resistance elements. Whitcomb provides an exercise machine having a single plurality of resistance elements, which are not removed from the exercise machine during normal usage, thus eliminating the risks and cost described above with respect to loose resistance elements. Even though the exercise machine is relatively versatile, it includes numerous pivotally movable components, which can be relatively bulky and can require many steps to maneuver the exercise machine into various positions for effecting the different modes of exercise. These extra steps require extra time to move the exercise machine between different positions and can significantly lengthen the workout. Thus, the ability to maneuver the exerciser into various positions for effecting the different modes of exercise quickly is greatly desirable to help reduce unnecessary time between exercises.
While the cited prior art exercisers are effective for their intended purpose, there is always a continuing need for new and improved exercisers which are cost-effective, convenient for transportation and storage, versatile, capable of providing variable resistance and relatively easy to maneuver between various positions for effecting different modes of exercise.
To achieve this need, an exerciser comprising an upright frame assembly, first and second moving assemblies, a third moving assembly, first, second and third connecting terminals and a set of resilient resistance structures is provided. The upright frame assembly is constructed and arranged to be disposed in an operative position supported on a horizontal surface. The upright frame assembly has a user support assembly constructed and arranged to support a user thereon.
The first and second moving assemblies are disposed in normal inoperative positions with respect to the user support assembly and are constructed and arranged to be manually engaged and individually manually moved away from the normal inoperative position thereof into a desired extended position by a user supported on the user support assembly.
The third moving assembly is disposed in a normal inoperative position with respect to the user support assembly. The third moving assembly is constructed and arranged to be engaged and moved away from the normal inoperative position thereof into a desired extended position by a user supported on the user support assembly.
The first, second and third connecting terminals are connected to the first, second and third moving assemblies, respectively, so that the first and third connecting terminals and the second and third connecting terminals move away from one another when any one of the moving assemblies is moved away from the normal inoperative position thereof.
The set of resilient resistance structures has operative extents and is constructed and arranged to be separately connected between the first and third connecting terminals and between the second and third connecting terminals. The set of resilient resistance structures provide resilient resistance throughout the operative extent thereof to the relative movement of the first and third connecting terminals and the second and third connecting terminals away from one another and a resilient bias throughout the operative extent thereof to move the first and third connecting terminals and second and third connecting terminals toward one another.
The resilient resistance structures are related to the upright frame assembly such that the first and third connecting terminals and the second and third connecting terminals are restrained against biased movement toward one another beyond normal inoperative positions thereof corresponding generally with the normal inoperative positions of the moving assemblies. The resilient resistance structures permit the first and third connecting terminals and the second and third connecting terminals to move relatively away from one another so that (1) manual movement of the first moving assembly away from the inoperative position thereof causes the first connecting terminal to move away from the third connecting terminal enabling the resilient structure connected thereto to provide resilient resistance throughout the operative extent thereof to the movement of the first moving assembly away from the inoperative position thereof, (2) manual movement of the second moving assembly away from the inoperative position thereof causes the second connecting terminal to move away from the third connecting terminal enabling the resilient structure to provide resilient resistance throughout the operative extent thereof to the movement of the second moving assembly away from the inoperative position thereof, and (3) movement of the third moving assembly away from the inoperative position thereof causes the third connecting terminal to move away from the first and second connecting terminals enabling the set of resilient structures connected thereto to provide resilient resistance throughout the operative extent thereof to the movement of the third moving assembly away from the inoperative position thereof.
Generally, exercisers of this type have been known to provide a user support assembly or bench for supporting users while they effect various different modes of exercise. Numerous exercisers that incorporate benches for providing support to users have heretofore been known in the art.
Some exercisers incorporate benches such as a split bench having a seat back and a seat member hingeably connected so that the bench can be adjusted for use in connection with both a flat bench position and a sitting position. Snyderman et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,447 represents an example of one such exerciser.
Other exercisers, especially those configured to provide multiple exercises or a bench which may be maneuvered between various positions may be cumbersome to transport and may take up a large area. One such exerciser, such as Rockwell U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,127, includes a bench assembly which may be moved into a storage position. The exercise machines taught by Piaget et al. and Whitcomb may also be moved into a storage position, but both exercise machines require a relatively complex series of movements and adjustments before being moved into the storage positions thereof.
Consequently, there exists a need in the art to provide an exerciser that is cost-effective, convenient for transportation and storage, versatile, and relatively easy to maneuver between various positions for effecting different modes of exercise.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an exerciser comprising an upright frame assembly. The upright frame assembly is constructed and arranged to be disposed in an operative position supported on a horizontal surface. The upright frame assembly has a user support assembly constructed and arranged to support a user thereon. Exercising assemblies on the upright frame assembly are constructed and arranged to be moved through exercising strokes by a user supported on the user support assembly.
The user support assembly includes a user seat member, a user seat back member, and an elongated support member having one end connected to the upright frame assembly and extending in an operative position generally horizontally outwardly therefrom. An outer leg structure is constructed and arranged to engage and be supported on the horizontal surface in spaced relation to the frame. The outer leg structure extends in an operative position in supporting relation with respect to the elongated support member to maintain the elongated support member in the generally horizontally outwardly extending relation from the lower frame portion. Seat mounting structure mounts the user seat member with respect to the elongated support member and the leg structure is moved horizontally with respect to the elongated support member when in the operative position thereof between an outer position and an inner position and spaced inwardly of and at generally the same level as the outer position. A seat back mounting structure is operatively associated with the seat back member. The seat back member is constructed and arranged to enable said seat back member to be selectively retained in a bench position extending in generally horizontally aligned relation to the user seat member in an outer position thereof and an upright position extending generally inwardly in inclined relation to the user seat member in an inner position thereof.
Another aspect of the present invention is achieved by the elongated support member being pivotally mounted at the one end to the upright frame assembly so as to be moved between the operative position thereof and an upright storage position wherein the elongated support member, the outer leg structure and the seat and seat back members are alongside the upright frame assembly.